Charlie Mintz
Teresa Wu
Tim Lambert
THE FANTASTIC THREE
Criteria:
Organization/Structure
Logical development of ideas
Plot arc/transformation
Character or narrator is transformed, has new knowledge/perspective
Argument
The point of the essay, what it wants to prove or make listeners understand
Logical transitions
Listener understands why material is being presented, lead rather than impede thought process
Evidence
Hard data, supporting facts, expert testimony, books, etc…
Thesis
What you’re trying to prove, the conclusion you’ve reached
Creating stakes/urgency
The listener is interested in your topic, understands why you’re talking about your topic, cares what you have to say
Insightful analysis
Thinking outside the box, synthesizing sources into new significant understanding, presenting new ideas/thoughts, contributing to an ongoing conversation
Communicate your ideas effectively through good speech practices
No mumbling
Don’t speak too loudly or too quietly
Strategies:
Consistent/varying point of view
Creating common ground
Listener and narrator have something in common, establishing connections, used to engage the audience
Humor
Makes the listener smile, engaging tactic
Interviews
Different perspectives, new voices engage audience, dramatize argument
Music
Dramatizes segments, adds emotion, sets tone, transitions, used to focus
Sound
Banter
Repetition
Laughter
Contrasts
Pauses
Emphases
Silences
Scene-setting/ambient sounds
Anticipating objections
Lends credence to argument by refuting possible objections
Chronological progression
Easy to follow
Role-playing
Doesn’t distract audience while creating variation, dramatize arguments
Drama/Emotion
Makes listener care more, raises stakes, adds pathos
Signposting
Lets listener know where they are, where they’ve been, where they’re going
Disarming the audience
Makes them more receptive to new information, point of view, argument
Posing questions
Adds coherence to argument
Sensate details
Anchors the listener in a physical space
Subtlety
Hook to get the listener interested
Stakes
Why the listener should care
Underlying themes/unity
Inductive
Developing authority
Story type:
Journey
Power struggle
Connection-disconnection
Onion
Parallel arc
Conditions to solution
Anecdotes
Scene setting
Intimacy
Listener trusts narrator, lets him/herself be moved
Developing characters
Metaphor/simile/metonymy
Makes connections clearer, more interesting in listener’s mind
Everyday language with short sentences
Vocal variation
Keeps listener interested, creates characters, adds emphasis
Quality of voice
Adds suspense, sets tone, gives authority
Pace
Can make listener hang on every word